Love this. (except where the kid is signing all the work at the end. Does it have to be turned into commerce so quickly. Can't the kid explore making art for awhile before we let the market in the door and distort all the purposes for doing this?)

I look forward to seeing what is produced by this machine over the long haul. It is already making some pretty great marks.

Thank you for the feedback-- it genuinely had not occurred to us that it could be interpreted that way. (And now that you say it, I can see how it could be.) Our intention was to illustrate a youngster making signed and numbered copies to give to her parents, siblings, and other family members-- and we love that idea. We did not remotely mean to suggest that kids should be selling their artwork.

We saw this at the KC Makers Fair a few weeks ago. Got to meet the maker and her dad. My 7 year old was absolutely fascinated by it. We spent more time at their exhibit than probably any other at the show. Great work.

Thanks for responding, Windell. The output of the painter is really beautiful and done in a way that will allow bright kids (and adults) to learn about the wonderful mysteries of wet paint in an environment that is easy to enter and experiment with. With experience a user will come to understand how tools are partners as much as they are slaves and that we collaborate with our tools all the time. I suspect you did not intend this as the message of your product, but it is a testimony to your innovative approach and open mindedness that that comes through loud and clear.

I have been following digital and robotic work for years and can say that your painting machine is one of the most sensitive explorations of the territory I have seen. The output has qualities that combine machine and human technique in a way that produces poignancy in an effortless way that few artists achieve after years of trying. (ahem.)

Congratulations to your team and especially the young inventor, but I have a heartfelt thanks to you for giving the idea the respect it deserved and doing it in a way that respects the way artists do what they do. The whole enterprise has a clarity that just delights me.

Wendell, are you aware of the work of Harold Cohen and his robot Aaron? They have been making paintings together for years and the output is pretty interesting. His thing is more about artificial intelligence, but the wet painting machine is still pretty rare and he does it well.